The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for Justin Fields to lead the team in their Week 3 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, with Russell Wilson still recovering from a lingering calf injury, told Bleacher Report. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed on Tuesday that Wilson will remain limited in practice this week, leaving Fields as the likely starter once again.
“We’re kind of in the same posture as we were in last week with Russ,” Tomlin said, according to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “As I sit here today, Russ is not scheduled to be a full participant in practice [on Wednesday], and so we’re reading a plan that features Justin and his readiness.”
Wilson first strained his calf during training camp and aggravated the injury just days before the season opener. This setback gave Fields, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the Chicago Bears, the opportunity to step in as the starter. While Fields hasn’t delivered anything extraordinary, he has managed to guide the Steelers to a solid 2-0 start this season.
Fields completed 13-of-20 passes for 117 yards and threw his first touchdown of the season in Pittsburgh’s 13-6 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday. In their opening win over the Atlanta Falcons, Fields threw for 156 yards. So far, he has completed nearly 70% of his passes across two games, a career-high, and he has yet to turn the ball over.
Despite Fields’ early success, Tomlin isn’t ready to discuss any potential changes to the depth chart. For now, Wilson remains the starter, and Tomlin plans to wait until Wilson is fully healthy before making any decisions.
“My position regarding the pecking order and the depth chart has not changed, guys,” Tomlin reiterated. “And it won’t until the other guy gets healthy, and then we’ll give it real consideration. Until then, I won’t speculate.”
As for Wilson’s timeline, Tomlin admitted there’s no clear answer. “We’ll follow Russ throughout the week, and if his participation gets to a level where we should consider him, we’ll delve into that at that time,” he explained.
For now, the Steelers are focused on Fields as their starter while Wilson continues his recovery. “We’re readying ourselves around Justin and we’ll stay in that mindset until something else happens. Hypotheticals are a waste of our time now,” Tomlin concluded.